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Perennial Ragweed

Ambrosia psilostachya

In the Carolinas and Georgia, found in calcareous prairies (westwards); in loamy sandy soil of flats and slight depressions in periodically burned longleaf pine uplands; also in disturbed areas. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition What its natural habitat tells you

67
Strong

Native to Arkansas. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 94%

Height
usually 1 to 2 feet tall
Light
Partial shade, Full sun
Soil moisture
Dry to moist
Will it fit your yard?

At a glance

Life cycle
Perennial
Bloom
July to November

Not yet recorded · Spread · Leaves

Recorded in 9 Arkansas counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

1 of 2

Prairies and grasslands

Open, grass-dominated places kept open by fire, grazing or thin soil, from tallgrass prairie to Piedmont prairies.

Roadsides, fields and disturbed ground

Ground opened by people: roadsides, old fields, pastures, fencerows and lots.

All habitats

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

56CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including AR

Genus host records with ranges including AR · Ambrosia

  • Achyra rantalisGarden Webworm Moth
  • Adaina ambrosiaeAmbrosia Plume Moth, Ragweed Plume Moth
  • Argyrotaenia velutinanaRed-Banded Leafroller Moth, Jack Pine Tube Moth
  • Azenia obtusaObtuse Yellow
  • Caenurgina erechteaClover Looper Moth, Common Grass Moth, Forage Looper
  • Carmenta texanaTexana Clearwing Moth
  • Chionodes mediofuscellaBlack-Smudged Chionodes
  • Chlorochlamys chloroleucariaBlackberry Looper Moth
  • Chlosyne gorgoneGorgone Checkerspot
  • Choristoneura rosaceanaOblique-Banded Leafroller Moth, Rosaceous Leaf Roller
Show all 56
  • Condica sutorThe Cobbler, Cobbler Groundling
  • Dichomeris juncidellaOrange-Dotted Dichomeris
  • Dichomeris serrativittellaToothed Dichomeris
  • Ephestiodes infimellaReddish Ephestiodes
  • Epiblema otiosanaBidens Borer Moth
  • Epiblema strenuanaRagweed Borer
  • Eupithecia miserulataCommon Eupithacia, Common Pug
  • Exelastis pumilioDwarf Plume Moth
  • Feltia subgothicaSubgothic Dart
  • Helcystogramma chambersellaChambers' Twirler
  • Hellinsia inquinatusBlack-Marked Plume Moth
  • Herpetogramma bipunctalisSouthern Beet Webworm, Two-Spotted Herpetogramma
  • Hypena scabraGreen Cloverworm Bomolocha, Black Snout
  • Lascoria ambigualisAmbiguous Moth, Ambiguous Litter Moth
  • Leptostales pannariaPannaria Wave
  • Mythimna unipunctaArmyworm Moth, White Speck
  • Ogdoconta cinereolaCommon Pinkband Groundling
  • Ostrinia obumbratalisSmartweed Borer
  • Papaipema cataphractaBurdock Border, Potato-Stalk Borer
  • Papaipema nebrisStalk Borer
  • Pelochrista cataclystianaSolidaga Eucosma, Solidaga Pelochrista
  • Pholisora catullusCommon Sootywing
  • Plagiomimicus pityochromusBlack-Barred Brown, Ragweed Seedcropper
  • Platynota stultanaOmnivorous Leafroller
  • Pleuroprucha insulsariaCommon Tan Wave
  • Polygonia interrogationisQuestion Mark
  • Ponometia candefactaOlive-Shaded Bird-Dropping Moth
  • Ponometia erastrioidesSmall Bird-Dropping Moth
  • Rachiplusia ouGray Looper
  • Schinia gracilentaIva Flower Moth, Slender Flower Moth
  • Schinia rivulosaRagweed Flower Moth
  • Schinia thoreauiThoreau's Flower Moth
  • Scopula inductataSoft-Lined Wave
  • Sparganothis sulfureanaSparganothis Fruitworm Moth, Sulfur Leafroller, False Yellow-Head
  • Spilosoma virginicaVirginian Tiger Moth, Yellow Woolybear Moth, Yellow Bear
  • Spragueia leoCommon Spragueia
  • Synchlora aerataWavy-Lined Emerald, Camouflaged Looper
  • Synchlora frondariaSouthern Emerald
  • Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformisEvergreen Bagworm Moth
  • Tricholita signataSignate Quaker, Signate Groundcat
  • Dichomeris washingtoniella
  • Gnorimoschema saphirinella
  • Hahncappsia marculenta
  • Landryia matutella
  • Paralobesia sambuci
  • Paralobesia vernoniana
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
2BeesSoutheastern regional records

Southeastern regional records · Ambrosia

Individual names are not available yet.

Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
0Specialist beesPollen specialists
31BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Ambrosia

  • Acanthis flammeaCommon Redpoll
  • Agelaius phoeniceusRed-winged Blackbird
  • Ammodramus savannarumGrasshopper Sparrow
  • Anthus rubescensAmerican Pipit
  • Anthus spragueiiSprague's Pipit
  • Calcarius lapponicusLapland Longspur
  • Calcarius pictusSmith's Longspur
  • Cardinalis cardinalisNorthern Cardinal
  • Colinus virginianusNorthern Bobwhite
  • Columbina passerinaCommon Ground Dove
Show all 31
  • Corvus brachyrhynchosAmerican Crow
  • Dolichonyx oryzivorusBobolink
  • Eremophila alpestrisHorned Lark
  • Haemorhous mexicanusHouse Finch
  • Junco hyemalisDark-eyed Junco
  • Loxia curvirostraRed Crossbill
  • Loxia leucopteraWhite-winged Crossbill
  • Melospiza lincolniiLincoln's Sparrow
  • Melospiza melodiaSong Sparrow
  • Molothrus aterBrown-headed Cowbird
  • Ortalis vetulaPlain Chachalaca
  • Pinicola enucleatorPine Grosbeak
  • Plectrophenax nivalisSnow Bunting
  • Quiscalus quisculaCommon Grackle
  • Rhynchophanes mccowniiMcCown's Longspur
  • Sialia sialisEastern Bluebird
  • Sturnus vulgarisEuropean Starling
  • Turdus migratoriusAmerican Robin
  • Tympanuchus phasianellusSharp-tailed Grouse
  • Zenaida macrouraMourning Dove
  • Zonotrichia querulaHarris's Sparrow
Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)

Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening

No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Asteraceae
Flower color
White or green

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope
Also known as

Ambrosia psilostachya and Ambrosia rugelii

Conservation status

Arkansas rankSNR
Global rankG5
AR statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

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Sources